


Oh, What a Thing to Do

by foolofatook001



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Katara saves everyone, Kind of a songfic, Mom!Katara, but doesn't save herself, don't worry she's fine though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:22:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22654687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foolofatook001/pseuds/foolofatook001
Summary: In which Katara learns that she can't keep giving and giving with no cost, and that taking care of herself is important too. Inspired by Coldplay's "Yellow."
Kudos: 44





	Oh, What a Thing to Do

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for a bit o' blood, but nothing graphic. People just get a little banged up. Also, lines in italics are from the song "Yellow" by Coldplay.

_ I swam across, I jumped across for you…  _

One minute, Appa was skimming over the ocean, toes barely touching the water and Toph was sitting daringly on the edge of the saddle, grinning wickedly and saying something that made Aang’s ears turn red; the next, Appa had been caught up by a strong gust of wind and Toph was no longer on the edge of the saddle - she was in the ocean and sinking fast.

Without a second thought, Katara dove off Appa’s back after her. She heard a shout of surprise from behind her that sounded like Sokka, but she was too busy scanning the water for Toph to really listen.

She hit the waves and sank like a rock, bending a bubble of water around herself so she could breathe, following the trail of bubbles that Toph had left behind.

There! A small, pale shape in the depths, sinking speedily. Katara sent a jet behind her and propelled herself forward, grabbing the small girl’s arm and changing directions quickly, heading for the surface.

Katara broke the surface of the water with a gasp as the bubble popped. Toph was unmoving in her arms. Quickly, she bent a platform of ice beneath them and laid Toph on her side. She focused in on drawing the water out of the younger girl’s lungs - drawing it out as fast as she could.

There was a large splash behind them, and Katara glanced back to see Appa swimming towards them.

Toph suddenly began coughing, and Katara slumped back on her heels, relieved. Then she reached out and helped Toph up to a seated position.

“Katara!” yelled Aang, a note of fear in his voice. “Is Toph okay?”

“I’m - fine - Twinkle Toes,” Toph coughed, holding tightly to Katara’s arm. Appa pulled up alongside the ice platform.

“Here,” said Zuko, reaching down to them.

“Toph, we’re going to pull you up,” Sokka said, and the little earthbender nodded and let Katara help her to her feet, still taking in deep breaths. Zuko grabbed Toph’s hand and hauled her into the saddle. Suki pulled out a blanket from one of the saddlebags and wrapped it around the younger girl’s shoulders. Aang was hovering, glancing anxiously between the shivering earthbender and Katara and not being much use. Zuko pulled Katara up into the saddle, and she let the ice platform melt behind her. Then she bent the water from her and Toph’s wet clothes, sending it back into her bending pouch.

“Let’s find a place to land and get Toph warmed up,” Katara ordered, and Aang sprang to Appa’s head, snatching up the reins and steering the sky bison toward land.

  
  


_ I came along, I wrote a song for you…  _

Sokka was sick - really sick. They’d been laid up for days while he went through chills, high fever, and bouts of delirium. Katara took care of him mostly, trading off with Suki and occasionally Aang for very short periods of time. It was clear to the rest of the gang that Katara might end up getting sick herself if she kept up this pace, but she waved them off when they tried to bring it up. 

At night, she would sing a song that Gran-Gran had always sung to them when they were sick at home. She didn’t have the best singing voice in the world, but it was from the heart, and Sokka always seemed to rest easier when she sang.

  
  


_ And you know, for you I’d bleed myself dry…  _

They’d run into a Fire Nation regiment that morning, and they had managed to escape, but not unscathed. Toph had some nasty burns on her arms. Suki and Sokka had both received multiple cuts and burns. Aang was developing a black eye and a sizeable goose egg on his head. Zuko had fared the best of all of them, with only a couple of bruises.

Katara had received a mid-sized cut on her stomach, but she pushed down the stinging pain -  _ it can wait _ , she told herself - and went to go heal the others first, starting with Toph, who was trying the hardest not to show how much her burns were hurting her; then Aang, who possibly had a concussion under that now-fading lump; then Suki, whose arm had begun to bleed heavily; then Sokka, who sighed in relief as her water flowed over his burned palms.

When she went to heal Zuko, however, he caught her arm and gave her a stern look. “I’m fine. Take care of yourself first,” he said, pointing to her stomach.

She refused to look down at it. If she looked at it, she would remember she had an injury there, and the pain would come rushing back in full force, and then she wouldn’t be able to take care of her friends. “It’s nothing. Just let me - ”

“Katara, you’ve been bleeding this whole time,” Zuko said, raising his voice a little.

She looked down then, seeing the red soaking into the blue of her shirt. “It’s - it’s just a scratch,” she said, reaching for him again, but as she reached out, a wave of dizziness - accompanied by a burning pain from her stomach - overcame her and she swayed on her feet. Blood loss, combined with the exertion of healing so many people in a row, was taking its sudden toll.

Zuko grabbed her forearms. “Sit down,” he ordered, guiding her over to a nearby boulder. Wincing, she did as she was told. The rest of the gang had realized something was wrong by this time, and gathered around. Sokka sucked in a breath. “Katara…” Aang’s eyes were wide.

“What happened? How bad is it?” asked Toph, sounding more worried than Katara had ever heard her.

“It’s just a scratch,” she repeated, not wanting to worry Toph further.

“No,” said Zuko, and he sounded angry, “it’s  _ not _ .”

Katara blinked at him, surprised. With a growl, he grabbed her hand - the one that still had water hovering over it - and shoved it over the still-bleeding cut. “First rule as medic,” he snapped, still sounding furious. “When you’ve just been in a battle, heal yourself  _ first _ . Do  _ not _ just let yourself  _ bleed _ to death - ” He stopped himself: Aang had gone very pale. Sokka was looking sick, but was also nodding. Toph was very still.

Katara swallowed back tears. She’d scared them all - even Zuko and Toph, the fearless ones; Zuko, whose fury had been to cover the fear - when her only aim had been to help and protect them. She felt the wound finish healing and let her hand fall. Sokka gave her a sharp look. Suki knelt down beside her and checked her stomach. “All good,” she reported quietly. Zuko folded his arms over his chest, but his face had a decidedly relieved expression. Aang took a hesitant step forward and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. 

“Come on, Katara,” said Sokka, taking her other hand. “Let  _ us  _ take care of  _ you _ for once.”

“You’re always sacrificing for the rest of us,” Aang added. “Now let us give you something.”

That evening, Suki made dinner, and Sokka did the dishes, and Aang and Toph did the laundry with Zuko’s help heating the water. Katara sat by the fire, forced to be waited on - but she felt something that had been missing before in the group: a sense of reciprocity. No longer was she giving and giving and giving. Now it was more even - more complete.

As everyone dropped off to sleep, Katara stared up at the stars until she was no longer awake but dreaming, walking through moonlit oceans while the stars smiled down on her.

_ Look at the stars, look how they shine for you… And all the things that you do…  _


End file.
